Before rampant cell phones and e-mails, NBA commissioner David Stern would call his office at odd hours to leave his secretary voice-mail instructions and reminders.

No matter how odd the hour, it seemed, a Harvard law school graduate would answer before Stern could get to voice mail.

“What are you doing there?” Stern would ask George Postolos, then a special assistant to the commissioner.

“I just wanted to finish …” Postolos would say.

Stern laughed at the memory on Monday night, hours after Astros owner Drayton McLane announced he was selling the franchise for $680 million. Houston businessman Jim Crane acknowledged that Postolos, a former Rockets team president, will be the Astros next chief executive officer once Major League Baseball owners approve the sale.

“He is a work horse,” Stern said. “He will do whatever it takes to get a particular project done – day, night, every day, it doesn’t matter. He has a goal, he sticks to it, he gets it done. He’s also a man of great integrity and a great family man. He’s really the complete package.”

Postolos, 47, politely declined comment about himself, saying it was Crane’s day. Stern is more than happy to take up the slack for Postolos, whose accomplishments include seeing the Rockets through an arena referendum and a move to Toyota Center. Postolos also handled the delicate negotiations that brought Yao Ming from China.

“They’re getting somebody who is extraordinarily intelligent, as hard-working as you will find who is an excellent lawyer and issue-spotter,” Stern said. “He did a very good with the Rockets of understanding every aspect of the sports business from sponsorship to cable television to selling and has a particular affinity for the Houston market. So I think they have themselves a winning package.”

Postolos left the Rockets in 2006 to form a company that helps groups buy sports franchises. He made runs at buying the Bobcats and Pistons before joining forces with Crane, who is chairman of the Crane Worldwide Logistics freight forwarding operation. Crane said he and Postolos have worked together for a couple years trying to land a team.

“George has a lot of experience in handling a situation like this. Some of the things from the business side are very similar,” Crane said. “You always hire somebody as good or better than you are. I think George will do a good job of managing the day-to-day operations once he’s able to sort out who he’s got on the staff.”

The impending arrival of a new regime casts doubts on the future of the current management team. Tal Smith, the president of baseball operations, is in his 54th season as a major-league executive – his 35th connected with the Astros. Pam Gardner is in 11th year as president of business operations. Ed Wade is in his fourth season in general manager, assigned with cleaning up the mess left from an aging big-league club and a depleted farm system.

“There’s always change in any business, in any industry,” Smith said. “You adjust and make the best of it.”

Does Smith want to be a part of the Astros’ future?

“I hope to stay active in baseball, certainly,” Smith said. “Everybody’s got their own personal preference, and I want to stay active as long as I can. I think it’s stimulating. There’s a limit as to how much leisure time you can enjoy and what you can do with it. I’m passionate about baseball, the same as I was when I started 54 years ago. I’m in good health, and I think my mental acuity is as good as it’s ever been, so there’s no reason to step aside.”

Wade said he’s going about business as usual, that GM’s work is never done. The Astros are in the midst of regional draft meetings this week in preparation for the June 6 draft.

“I’m not going to spend time or energy thinking about anything other than trying to do what I’ve done since I got this opportunity,” Wade said. “Our energy has to be dedicated to the club. That’s what I signed a contract to do: Work in the best interests of the Houston Astros. It’s not work in the best interests of Ed Wade.”

Though Gardner is in her 23rd year with the organization, she said she’s not apprehensive of any possible changes.

“You know what? It’s a great day,” Gardner said. “Who could ever complain about the wonderful times that we’ve had here in Houston? And I think going forward, they’re going to get better. I think a breath of fresh air is healthy and good.”

Much of Postolos’ resume revolves around the NBA. Stern said Postolos has a wider grasp of matters than that, calling him “an expert on sports and sports values.”

“I think he sees the potential in baseball, and I think he sees the potential in Houston – a city of which he is so fond,” Stern said. “He also, I believe, sees what the capacity is for a team to make a contribution to the community through community efforts and calling attention to good causes.”